


The Whole Wide World's Burning (As Is My Love For You)

by Buckets_Of_Stars



Series: Ineffable Instincts [7]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alpha Crowley (Good Omens), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Instincts, Assault, Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Blood and Injury, Bottom Aziraphale (Good Omens), Claiming, Complete, Coronavirus mention, Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Established Relationship, Feral Behavior, Feral Crowley (Good Omens), Fluff and Angst, Good Omens Lockdown, Hurt Aziraphale (Good Omens), Hurt/Comfort, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), Insecure Aziraphale (Good Omens), M/M, Marking, Modern Era, Omega Aziraphale (Good Omens), One Shot, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Crowley (Good Omens), Prompt Fic, Protective Crowley (Good Omens), Robbery, Scent Marking, Scenting, Smitten Aziraphale (Good Omens), Smitten Crowley (Good Omens), Soft Aziraphale (Good Omens), Stabbing, Top Crowley (Good Omens), True Love, True Mates, stab wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 07:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24347218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buckets_Of_Stars/pseuds/Buckets_Of_Stars
Summary: Aziraphale doesn't normally get burglars and certainly doesn't normally get hurt--stabbed, basically, if he's being honest with himself--while trying to stop them. But the world isn't normal right now and the Omega learns first-hand how much things have changed.Crowley just wants Aziraphale to tell him things, especially when it involves his husband bleeding in their bathroom, his scent smelling of fear and pain and his essence crying out for his Alpha.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Ineffable Instincts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1515203
Comments: 47
Kudos: 377
Collections: Hurt Aziraphale





	The Whole Wide World's Burning (As Is My Love For You)

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a wonderful prompt by @anon: Aziraphale got cut from the guys breaking in, but he tries to cover it up, and make it seem like nothing happened. Sent them away with cake. So when Crowley was like "I could come over" the angel was worried his alpha would be mad, so that's why he stutters and is nervous. but then Crowley comes over anyway, obvi, and does his check up on his mate and loses it 
> 
> Stay safe out there please ya'll, the world's a crazy place right now and we all need to do our part to get through this madness. I hope you guys enjoy and please let me know what you think! :D
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Good Omens or any related materials.

* * *

_“I’m burning all the time. My pockets full of matches and lighters, the blue smoke crawling out like a skinny ghost from between my lips. My lungs on fire, the wings of them falling from the open sky.”_   
― Matthew Dickman

* * *

Aziraphale’s arm hasn’t gotten any better.

It wasn’t his fault, really. With all of the illness and heartbreak and fear surrounding him, the angel knew that many others could use the limited supply of miracles permitted at this time. Heaven’s wait list was quite long and, although he now has very limited contact with his brethren, Aziraphale doesn’t want to risk taking away what help the others could offer in their assigned sections of the world.

Lord knows _everywhere_ needs help right now.

He knew that instead of healing his arm, he could help the old lady across the street get tissue paper, or help the mother frantically trying to get her 3-year-old son to keep his face mask on. He could help the young woman next door with getting cat food or help the couple down the road afford to keep their apartment for the next month. 

Besides, his arm’s only bleeding a little bit. 

Or at least, that’s what Aziraphale tells himself. 

He’s in his bathroom at the back of the bookshop, leaned over the sink. In his left hand, he holds a damp taran printed washcloth, his right held underneath the gentle spray of water from the tap. 

The gash starts at the base of his wrist, traveling upwards in a jagged, throbbing line until it stops right before his elbow, curling up around the joint. It’s only very deep in a few places, thankfully, but that doesn’t stop the pained cry that spills from the Omega’s lips as he begins to wash the cut, the golden blood dripping along the porcelain. 

“Ow.” Aziraphale winces, his scent becoming bitter in the small room, surrounding him as his heart thuds. He shivers, wishing for the millionth time that Crowley was there. “Ow, _ow_.”

His Alpha had left for a few days to check on his own flat and plants, to make sure that the area where he’s supposed to be vacating smells enough like Evil to ward away any interference from Hell. 

That doesn’t stop the ache that spreads through Aziraphale’s chest from the loss. A pain that almost overpowers the burning in his arm for a few seconds, before a sudden splash of water against the tender mortal flesh has the blonde blinking back more tears. 

Of course, the first night his Alpha was away was when Aziraphale got robbed.

The older lad, a boy at least 15-years-old, had snuck into the back of the shop with what Aziraphale thought might have been his brother. He had banished a knife at the stunned angel before Aziraphale could miracle it away. 

“ _Please sir-Please--_ ” The child had sobbed, clinging to his brother, when Aziraphale managed to get him to calm down, his face edged in fear and a maturity the angel knows is far too deep for a mere boy to bare. “ _We just need some money, our parents--_ ”

He hadn’t realized it, however, that the human had actually managed to _hurt_ him before Aziraphale had shooed them both away with his leftover baked goods, good blessings on his lips. 

_Don’t come home._ He remembered thinking the first time he had caught sight of the large gash on his arm, standing in the middle of the bookshop. _For someone’s sake, please don’t come home yet, Crowley. I don’t want those poor boys to be hunted down because of a simple mistake._

Luckily, Crowley had called that night, told him that he was staying for a few more days to really make sure everything was in order. The Omega in Aziraphale had cried, had whined and sobbed and _begged_ for him to tell his mate, to tell his Alpha of his pain and his worry and to _get Crowley to fix it._

“I can come back early if you want. . .” Crowley had hissed over the phone, his voice deep and gravelly and _perfect_ in every way and Aziraphale had almost agreed. “. . .ssslither on over and-and watch you eat cake, my darling Omega.”

Aziraphale had gone to twirl the phone cord, to pull the plastic closer like he would his mate, but the sudden, burning fire of his injury flared up again and the Omega was forced to grit his teeth against the sudden pain. “I-I-I-I don’t think, I mean, uh, No, n-no that’s-that’s quite alright, my dear.” 

Crowley’s voice wasn’t as smooth this time, torn apart by the sudden rising of his Alpha instincts Aziraphale had known was now pulling at the ginger’s own chest. The angel can feel it over the phone, his own responding in kind. His distress scent was everywhere then and the Omega had blinked away tears. 

“Are you ssssure, dove?” 

Aziraphale sniffed, nodding. “Y-Yes. I’ve got to go now, darling, the, uh, the kettles on. I’ll see you when you get home in a few days?” 

“Of course, but what’s wrong? Aziraphale--?”

“I’ll talk to you later, Sir.” Aziraphale had whispered. “Uh, G-Goodnight.”

Crowley snarled over the phone, his Alpha voice already beginning to slip through the cords, but Aziraphale slammed the receiver down before his mate’s voice affected him.

Aziraphale had managed to shove his Omega instincts away long enough to end the call. If he had sunk down to his knees after hanging up, had cried and clutched his hurt arm to his chest, had practically howled because he’s scared and now he just feels _so alone?_

Well, no one but Aziraphale has to know about that. 

Sighing to himself again, the Omega shakes his head. It has to be done. With all the things happening in the world at the moment, Crowley’s already overwhelmed with the amount of dread being projected from every corner. 

No sense in making him anymore stressed, and certainly not for something that was only caused by Aziraphale’s own daffness. Daffness that he isn’t willing to waste on a silly miracle, not right now. 

Poking at his _still_ bleeding cut, the Omega is so focused on maybe getting the pain jolting to his shoulder to calm down enough to stop crying to notice the sudden, enraged Alpha scent now penetrating the air.

He certainly doesn’t miss the familiar arms that latch onto his waist, however. 

“Oh--!” Aziraphale jumps, immediately baring his neck to Crowley when his Alpha presses up against him, gently pushing the blonde up against the blood-soaked sink. “--my dear, you-you frightened me--”

“Do you know what frightensssss me, my beautiful Omega?” Crowley growls, sniffling along Aziraphale’s neck, yellow eyes narrowed. “When my mate calls me, not even 48-hours after I left him safely in our den, with his scent smelling of _so much_ fear and pain that I can-can practically tassste it over the phone line, hmm? Or when he liesss to me about it?” 

Aziraphale whines. “I-I don’t--”

“No, you don’t know, baby, but let me just tell you--.” Crowley snarls, his eyes widening when he finally seems to see the blood covering the sink and dripping down Aziraphale’s arm. “ _What the fuck isss that?!_ ”

Ducking his head at the pure, unfiltered rage he can hear in his Alpha’s voice, Aziraphale keens, swaying a little on his feet. Crowley just holds him tighter, gently pressing a soothing kiss against his forehead when Aziraphale sobs again. 

“Did you hurt yourself, darling?” Crowley asks, chest filled with a gentler rumbling now, nuzzling his cheek against Aziraphale’s temples, taking the rag from the angel’s slack grip and rising it under the water with his free hand. “I’ve told you time and time again: you need to be more careful when you dust off the lamps--”

“No, no,” Aziraphale cuts the ginger off, giving a little hiss of his own when Crowley gently presses along the edges of his gash. “It wasn’t-wasn’t from cleaning, Sir.” 

Crowley freezes, scent once again clouding in a protective rage. His voice is nearly a whisper. “Did someone _hurt_ you, love?”

Aziraphale swallows, turning away from his Alpha’s wonderful golden eyes to stare down at the gold instead staining his skin. “Y-Yes, but please, darling--”

Crowley snarls, fangs glistening as his wings suddenly surround them, as black as a starless winter night. His Alpha scent’s everywhere now, curling around Aziraphale, so thick the angel is almost sure he can see it in the air. 

“I’m gonna kill them.” Crowley swears, slitted eyes darting around them as though the attackers were going to jump out from the shadows, his teeth bared, body trembling in barely controlled Alpha and Demon rage. “Touching my mate, _hurting my Omega_ . Marking what’s mine. _Mine._ I’m going to-to--”

Gently reaching over, the blonde cups his mate’s cheek, forcing Crowley to meet his gaze. His Alpha’s pupils are mere slits, the gold as hot as molten lava.

“They were _children_ , love. They-They needed money for their families, parents lost their jobs, I believe. They came for the cashbox, that’s all. They didn’t mean t-to hurt me, my Alpha.” 

Crowley snorts, forked tongue darting out once to wet his lips. He shifts, pulling his wings back in from their defensive positions at Aziraphale’s sides. He snarls again, the sound more of a grumble than anything before he’s leaning forward, taking Aziraphale’s hurt arm in his thankfully non-clawed grip. 

“How long hasss it been like this, dove?” 

Aziraphale frowns, sniffling. “Uh, a-a few hours, I believe. They tried to get into the backroom last night.”

“Waited until I was gone, then, the little bastards.” Crowley growls, finally giving up on manually fixing the wound. He snaps it away in a split-second, smiling gently down at Aziraphale when the blonde lets out a sigh of relief. “That feels better, sweetheart?” 

“Much, thank you, Sir.” 

Pressing a kiss against his Alpha’s cheek in gratitude, the angel allows Crowley to carefully steer them out of the bathroom, blinking in the white daylight from the windows. 

His arm is smooth, when he lifts his sleeve away, the skin that was once torn and flaming now as good as new and Aziraphale sighs again. Crowley, gently lifting up the now exposed arm, trails kisses up and down his angel’s once injured skin, layering the reminder of his mate’s pain in a coat of his love and scent until Aziraphale couldn’t remember what it had felt like if he tried. 

“Oh, Sir--” Aziraphale whines, wiggling as Crowley begins to climb kisses higher up his arms, nipping at his lovely shoulder’s through the blonde’s jacket. “Please--”

“Not yet.”

“But--”

“No,” Crowley pulls back, face serious even as he pecks at Aziraphale’s lips. “Letsss sit down first, dove.”

Aziraphale sighs. “Fine, fine.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Crowley asks as they get settled on the couch, tucking his husband up against his chest until he can nuzzle into the soft curls with a grumble. “You weren’t scared, right?”

Aziraphale shakes his head, cuddling closer. “For _them_ , my dear. You can be quite, um, _ruthless_ when you’re angry.”

“When it comes to you, baby, I’ll never be anything less.” Crowley says, leaning down just enough to press his lips against Aziraphale, his forked tongue swiping over the angel’s bottom lip. The Omega moans, whining. “Shh, shh, we ssstill have stuff to talk about, my dove.”

“Later then?”

Crowley smirks, his breath ghosting over Aziraphale’s neck. The Omega shivers. “Oh, trusssst me, sweetness, I’m going to erase any leftover marks, don’t you worry your beautiful mind about that. We really do need to talk firssst, though.”

Aziraphale pouts but leans back, scooting over enough to gently curl up against his husband’s lap, the demon’s long arms draped around his waist. Crowley nuzzles his neck in thanks, taking a second to gently nip at the exposed smooth skin before he moves back as well, his gold eyes soft but blazing. 

“Why didn’t you tell me then, my Omega?” Crowley whispers, voice soft but strong, weighted in an Alpha Command that Aziraphale hasn’t been able to resist in all of these wonderful 6,000 years. “Tell me.”

“I didn’t want to bother you, Crowley.” Aziraphale swallows, face heating as he looks down, gently twiddling with the loose buttons of his mate’s black jacket. “With everything going on, with this whole-whole bloody _mess_ of a virus and all the suffering and fear coming from the humans. Well, I just--I know that it’s taking a toll on you, Alpha, and-and I didn’t want to cause you anymore stress or worry.” 

“Oh, my darling dove, my perfect Omega.” Crowley says, gently cupping Aziraphale’s face in his palm, tilting the blonde’s chin up until they can make eye contact. “Listen to me, okay?”

Aziraphale nods. “Of course, always.”

“You have to understand, Azzziraphale.” His thumb smoothes over Aziraphale’s cheek and the angel snuggles closer with a chirp. “The whole entire world--the Universe even--could be on fire and I would stop grabbing buckets if you got so much as a single hangnail, angel.”

“I would do the same for you, my dear.” Aziraphale glances up at Crowley through his lashes, his blue gaze as wide and deep as the summer sky above. “My love for you burns hotter than any sun ever could, regardless.” 

All Crowley can seem to do is lean down and kiss him and Aziraphale figures that’s better than any words that could be said, anyways. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos make my day and comments fuel my writing! ;D 
> 
> My Good Omens Tumblr side-blog: https://top-crowley-central.tumblr.com


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